走长城的行为艺术家（走过长城：一个行为艺术家的探索之旅）

Long ago, when the Great Wall was being constructed, the labors who worked day and night to build this magnificent piece of the world were ordinary people who lacked the knowledge and skills to create art. Today, artists are using this cultural symbol as a canvas, producing various forms of art through their perpetually wandering bodies. This is the story of a Chinese performance artist who walked through the Great Wall and ended up creating one of the most iconic and talked-about performance art pieces in recent years.

Part 1: Inspiration Strikes

The artist, whose name will not be disclosed, stumbled upon an old photo collection of the Great Wall and realized that he had never actually visited the wall himself. Intrigued by the historical importance of the wall, the artist resolved to embark on a journey to traverse it on foot. Inspired by the likes of Marina Abramovic, he saw an opportunity to create an art piece that would take him away from the city and push him to his physical limits, all while exploring the beauty of one of China's most famous landmarks.

The artist did not want to simply walk along the wall and leave it at that, however. He decided to interact with the wall itself, making it an essential character in his performance art piece. He started envisioning himself as part of the wall, with his body becoming the mortar between the bricks that made up the Great Wall of China. Thus, he began to research and prepare for what would become his most ambitious endeavor yet.

Part 2: The Journey Begins

The artist set off on the journey on August 8th, the date being particularly significant in Chinese culture as an auspicious day. His backpack had only the essentials: food, water, a sleeping bag, a shovel, a camera, and a drone. His journey was going to last for one month, during which he planned to cover a distance of approximately 150 kilometers.

As a performance artist, the journey was about more than just walking along the wall. He wanted to interact with it, test his limits, and push beyond what he thought he was capable of. This meant that he would often spend nights sleeping in the tower ruins or digging trenches; he would even take off his clothes and rub his body against the rough stones to feel a deeper connection to the wall. He wanted to blur the boundary between himself and the Great Wall, making it an integral part of his being.

Part 3: The Result

The journey, as expected, was incredibly challenging. The artist had to withstand extreme weather conditions, navigate difficult terrain, and, most difficult of all, control his mind and body as he pushed through the miles. However, as he moved through the wall, he experienced an unexplainable feeling of oneness with the wall, as if he had unlocked some secret code that only those who have walked along the Great Wall knew. This feeling was shared by those who watched his online uploads and breathed new life into the ancient ruins of the wall.

The artist's journey may have ended, but his art had just begun. The images he captured, the video he recorded, and the experiences he had, all became an art piece that now lives on in the imagination of his audience. Through his journey, the artist has shown us that sometimes, the best way to express one's art is by immersing oneself fully into the world around us, and that sometimes, beauty can be found in even the most challenging of journeys.